LED flexible light source into space

In Arizona, for Inc. NthDegree Technologies Worldwide startup, lighting, solar and energy storage application in inorganic printing and flexible semiconductor development and has announced that the U.S. Space Agency (NASA) signed a contract to jointly develop lightweight, low power "(low mass, low power) light source.

The innovation of the light source semiconductor ink will be developed using NthDegree, NASA is currently in NthDegree provided Nth Light tests were performed to evaluate the safety of the technology, and confirm whether to confirm non-toxic, can meet the space requirements of navigation.

NthDegree said, the company developed a proprietary method of ink transfer to the semiconductor substrate, according to NthDegree website information disclosure, the ink containing functional elements, such as the use of traditional wafer fabrication of diodes and transistors. NthDegree has been able to make these inks can play a "functional" characteristics, and the use of standard high-speed presses and other projects to apply for a patent.

In June this year, the company's information display (SID) conference in the report of its solid-state lighting (SSL) device, the device is on the standard InGaN heteroepitaxial, made of micro LED and dispersed in the ink binder. The method can also be used as a model for future development of ink, as well as silicon or III-V semiconductor manufacturing technology.

The company said the approach could lead to economies of scale. The company said, in order to Flexography Printing Machine of a 60 cm wide (flexographic press), every minute can be printed on 75 meters, the annual operating 300 days, 20 hours a day it can be equal to about 250 million of the A-19 light bulb. The company said the retail price should be similar to the existing CFL bulbs.

NthDegree said that the use of printing technology to create a functional electronic devices, bypassing the component packaging this step. The elements printed directly onto the substrate also allow manufacturers to design lighting devices that are more diverse in shape and function.

NthDegree said on its Web site NthDegree has developed a lighting panel, the panel size of 60 cm X120 cm, brightness of 5000 lumens, and the integration of the 100W power supply. The panel is designed to replace the existing fluorescent lighting design, can provide a wide range of color temperature, life of up to 50000 hours.

The company has also developed a thin film solar cell with a shape of a silicon ball and said it would be able to compete with conventional solar panels.